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“It’s very old. Angry. It burns.”

“It’s not alone. It brings darkness and fire.”

The ghosts hadn’t exactly answered his questions, but that wasn’t unusual with spirits, especially those that were this panicked. Anything that could scare ghosts usually meant trouble.

For the moment, he tried to look past those spirits, searching for anything that felt odd or malicious.

Then it found him.

Simon gasped at the strength of the spirit, and one hand clasped a protective amulet, helping to keep it at a safe distance. Surprise gave way to curiosity, and he felt like a zoologist examining a previously unknown predator. The spirit was dangerous but fascinating, and its resonance felt different from what Simon usually picked up from regular ghosts.

The creepiest part was that he almost had the feeling the spirit was sizing him up as well. Simon didn’t pick up a name or glimpses of a past life. That made him wonder if it was truly the ghost of a dead person or some sort of other entity.

“Hello. Who are you? What do you want?” Simon sent out silently. No answers came, either in words or images. He could sense the spirit’s strength and great age, as well as deep anger. Keeping their distance in the background, he could also pick up on dark presences that weren’t like the usual ghosts he encountered, separate from the main spirit but attracted to its power.

As if it had just noticed his interest, Simon felt a psychic shove that broke contact. It didn’t feel like a threat, but a clear demand to be left alone.

“Are you okay?” Sanderson asked as Simon came out of his thoughts. The hotel owner pressed a bottle of water into his hands, and he gulped it down gratefully.

“Yeah, although I’ll probably have a headache,” Simon replied. “You’re right that it’s not an average ghost, but I’m going to have to do some research to figure out what it is.” He paused. “Did the fire crew chief say anything seemed unusual?”

Sanderson shrugged. “Little things like the path of the fire and not seeing an obvious point of origin. They’ll consider it to be ‘suspicious’ until they can pinpoint the cause. I imagine at first glance, it’s just another old hotel losing its battle with time or arson.”

Just from his limited exposure to the site and its rogue spirit, Simon very much doubted the situation was ordinary. Then again, the fire department wasn’t trained to look for signs of supernatural meddling and speculating about that would likely cause all kinds of problems. He felt somewhat relieved that he had an excuse not to get any closer.

The wind changed, and he choked on the smoke. “I think I’ve got all I can get right now,” he managed. “If I need to come back, I’ll let you know.” Simon paused, thinking of the mental push he had felt, as well as the darker spirits watching and waiting. “I don’t know what kind of spirit we’re dealing with, but it’s not friendly. Keep your people away and don’t come here alone. I’ve got some protective items in my car for you, please use them.”

“You don’t have to convince me,” Sanderson replied. “I don’t spook easily, or I couldn’t manage the hotel, but this is way beyond even what passes for normal for Ocean Visions.”

Sanderson followed him to the car. Simon searched through a bag in the trunk and pulled out a silver amulet and a vial of blessed salt.

“Carry these with you at all times, but don’t take any chances, even so.” To Simon’s relief, Sanderson took the items and didn’t argue. Simon promised to be in touch as soon as he learned more, and Sanderson said he’d bring over the materials Simon had requested and let him know about any new developments.

He sensed the spirit watching them leave. Whether or not it could actually think, Simon got the feeling they were unwelcome. He mulled over what he had seen on the drive back, feeling glad that both the shop and the bungalow he shared with Vic were heavily warded against evil and layered with protections from several magical traditions, blessed by powerful practitioners. Simon knew that underestimating a supernatural enemy or overestimating one’s own abilities were sure routes to disaster, and he planned to avoid both.

“Everything go okay?” Pete asked when he got back to the store.

“As okay as it could,” Simon replied. “This is going to take a lot more than salt and a blessing to stop this ghost.”

“Head to the back and do your research thing,” Pete told him. “I’ll handle the customers.”

After Pete returned to the register, Simon did as he suggested, then called Vic, who answered on the first ring.

“Well? What did you make of him and his story?” Vic asked.

“I think he’s legit,” Simon replied. “It doesn’t mean that he’s right about any of it, but I don’t think he’s conning us or trying to claim his fifteen minutes of fame. Plenty of places in this town are haunted. I’m just hoping I can figure out what’s causing his problem and how to stop it before something really bad happens.”

“Damn,” Vic replied. “I was hoping you’d say he was totally bogus. His story gives me the creeps.”

“I’m guessing you went over to Ocean Visions right after you called me?” Simon fished with a slight smile, knowing his husband well.

“Busted. Of course I did. I’m not psychic like you, but I’ve got cop intuition, and that place puts off serious heebie-jeebies. I don’t know how it was before the fire, but I can’t imagine anyone wanting to stay in the hotel now.” Vic paused. “I went through a lot of old records about the hotel and unsolved fires in Myrtle Beach. There seemed to be a cycle with a big fire at the hotel and a bunch of little, seemingly unrelated, blazes elsewhere.”

“When I contacted the hotel ghosts, one of them said, ‘It burns.’ That could mean being around the stronger spirit is unpleasant—or that it literally causes fire,” Simon said.

“Can ghosts do that?” Vic asked.

“Yes, but fortunately it’s not common,” Simon answered. “The cycle of big fires is bad enough, but what you found about other small blazes happening in sync is worrisome. That can mean there’s a second spirit that is feeding off the energy from the more powerful entity.”