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When he corrected for shifts in the overall economy, stock market, and other normal variables, Vic still found crime waves every ten years—until sixty years ago, when the unusual crime peaks flattened.

Next, he looked at the most notable crimes in those peaks, searching for any link to Ocean Visions. That was likely to take longer, since the connections were not necessarily direct.

If there were a Mob war and people died, that wouldn’t automatically look like a hotel thing, but it could be if they were using Ocean Visions as a base, or funding them in exchange for use of the facility.

Vic loved the challenge. Unfortunately, this type of puzzle came with a body count, which was likely to rise unless they could bind the entity and shut off any remaining links between the hotel and its criminal past.

Simon’s ringtone pulled him out of his thoughts, and Vic answered the call.

“Sorry I missed you. I’ve been beating the bushes and meeting with my contacts. I’m going to call Gabriella next,” Simon told him.

“And?”

“Still processing. I’ll fill you in tonight,” Simon promised.

Vic knew Gabriella was a powerful bruja, and he didn’t doubt her magic would work well with Simon’s sixth sense.

“Just be careful.” Vic knew that Simon was already aware of the possible supernatural risks.

“We will,” Simon promised.

Vic bit back his worry, reminding himself that Simon had dealt with threats long before the two of them became a couple and knew how to protect himself.

“Okay. Tell Gabriella I said hello. Looking forward to hearing all about it.” Vic forced himself to sound more cheerful than he felt, and he was sure Simon read the effort for what it was.

“See you at home soon. You be careful too,” Simon replied.

Ross came back to the office a few hours later, jarring Vic from his research.

“Everything go well?” Vic asked.

“Yeah. I think the fraud thing will be pretty straightforward. As for the possible missing person, it’s still too early to know if they really are missing, but at least the paperwork is filed.” Ross poured himself the last of a pot of coffee.

“Any connections to the Ocean Visions mess?” Vic asked.

Ross straddled a chair facing Vic. “Maybe. The circumstances got me thinking. The fraud case was a guy running a shady travel agency who took people’s money and didn’t deliver the reservations. The missing person went on a tour with an unlicensed guide and hasn’t been heard from since. Both perps operated out of leased space from local motels.”

“Interesting,” Vic replied. “But I’m not seeing the connection.”

Ross grinned. “I’m getting there. For argument’s sake…let’s suppose your theory is right about a dangerous ghost. Do you think it could feed off negative emotions? I saw something like that on TV a while ago. If that’s possible, maybe it also attracts bad actors to commit crimes nearby. The ghost brings in vulnerable people, and the crook scams them and makes money while the angst feeds the spirit.”

Vic sat back, thinking through the implications. “Great insight and a whole lot of new work for me. Crimes like that wouldn’t necessarily be charged against the hotel itself, but the bad actors. But if the crimes still help power up the ghost, they would be part of the cycle. If you’re right, I need to look for clusters of frauds and missing people right before the big crime peaks. See if there were bunches of small crimes that might have juiced the ghost up so it could cause larger problems to feed on before going back into hibernation. Just like I’m looking for clusters of otherwise unconnected small fires in the same time window. And I’m trying to link the hotel’s financial boom and bust cycles to when the ghost was active.”

Vic shook his head. “Wow. That’s a whole lot of conjecture out of whole cloth. It’s a great theory with not much to back it up. But I guess that’s my job and Simon’s.”

“Sorry,” Ross said. “Didn’t mean to make more work for you.”

“Your hunch makes a lot of sense.” Vic shrugged. “And it gives me a direction to look in around this most recent fire because if Simon is right, the spirit might have needed help getting the energy it required to make a comeback.”

“Glad to help.” Ross stood and turned his chair around. “Did you realize what time it is? Simon will be worried.”

“Shit,” Vic muttered when he realized that it was an hour after quitting time.

“C’mon. I’ll walk out with you,” Ross offered. “You can put in a good word for me with Simon.”

A few of the other detectives were usually around late, but tonight the office seemed quiet and empty. Despite the building’s security and some extra precautions Simon had added to their office, Vic felt exposed. He had learned long ago to listen to his instinct, staying aware as he closed down his computer, gathered his things, and locked up.

He and Ross parted ways in the parking lot. Vic remained alert, pausing before heading toward his dark blue Hayabusa motorcycle. He didn’t see anyone lurking but couldn’t shake the sense of a presence.