Pleas of the Poltergeist

But not knowing who she was meant I couldn’t exactly throw her out of my house. A part of me knew she had information I needed. I was certain she had a purpose, but at the rate things were going, I would be an old lady before I found out what she was actually doing here.

Saturday morning arrived, and Janice did her normal visit and disappear thing. I didn’t pay much attention to her, since I couldn’t wait to meet Wes at Aunt Linda’s old house that afternoon.

I parked in the drive, next to his vehicle, and I shook my head. Kim had destroyed so much when she burned the house the first time. Wes’s brother, Liam, had nearly finished the job when he intended to cover up history, so they could keep the viscount title in the family. When I climbed out, I made sure to grab my flashlight.

“Hey, there,” Wes called from some place nearer the house. He stepped out, holding a shovel, and gave me a quick hug before handing me the coffee he’d picked up.

I raised the cup. “Thanks.”

“Is it safe for us to go inside?” he asked.

“Oh, probably not. Chief Oswald hasn’t cleared it for re-entry yet.” Though, Aunt Linda was probably not very good at keeping Chief Oswald’s mind on his fire chief duties. I bit back a smile and sipped my coffee as we tried to figure out how to get back inside.

“Don came in a different way than the way we did when he rescued us from the fire your brother started. Some entrance from farther away in the brush some place. Maybe we can get into the tunnels from that direction.”

We both started in the general direction of the tunnel’s far entrance.

As we climbed through the undergrowth, Wes shook his head. “It’s been a week of complete craziness at the office. Annie, my vet assistant, is a killer.”

“Wait, a killer?” I gulped.

“No,” He laughed. “Not like that. She keeps me busy and things moving smoothly. I’m so thankful that she’s in our office because she’s quite an asset.”

We easily found the end of the tunnel and the edge of the entrance. Wes pulled back a bush to open the entrance even more. I peered into the gaping hole.

“Guess we might as well go in.” I held the flashlight up, ready for the darkness inside. “Came prepared.”

“Me, too.” Wes hefted the shovel and followed the light inside.

The air in the tunnel still smelled like smoke. I grimaced as the echo of fear from that day washed over me. It had been terrifying.

“We’re going to smell horrible when we get done,” I said. “We’re certainly going to need a shower later.”

Wes scrunched up his nose. “It’s odd coming back here, isn’t it?”

“How are you doing with all of that?” I kept the light trained in front of us. “What’s the latest with your brother?”

“I haven’t spoken to him since they arrested him. His ex-wife did reach out to him, and she sent me an update. Plus, I’ve got a nephew with my ex-sister-in-law. So I guess we’ll always be tied together in some way.”

Unsure of how to respond, I just listened and let him talk.

“They weren’t like my family. Although, his ex-wife is really sweet. I honestly have no idea how my brother ever snagged a woman like her. My family has such strong personalities, and she never really fit into the family very well. My nephew is a lot like her, thankfully. At least he wasn’t tainted by my brother’s influence.” Wes looked a little sheepish about revealing so much of himself.

I didn’t answer, mostly thinking about what Wes had said. William had appeared by us and followed along as we made our way through the tunnels.

“Guess we’d better get back to what we are trying to do here.” He slowed as we approached the area where William was buried. “Where did you say William was?”

William pointed at a nondescript place on the ground.

“William is here.” I indicated the spot William had mentioned last time we were down there, and Wes started digging.

“Is this going to be gruesome?” I asked him as the shovel started to move the dirt covering his burial place.

“No. By now it’s only a set of bones. Not even all of them will be there at this point.” William stood just off to the side, quietly watching our every move.

“Do you think this is illegal?”

Wes shrugged, but he didn’t stop digging. “No idea.”

Deciding to check it out, I shot Don a text. “Do you know if there are any laws on how to deal with family remains found on your property?”

He didn’t answer right away, and the sound of the shovel hitting something had Wes dropping to his knees to use his hands. I joined him in the dirt.

He started pulling out bones, but they seemed really small. I held one bone up so I could compare it with William. William wasn’t portly, but he wasn’t petite either, if the ghostly version of himself was true to his alive self.

I frowned. “Are these the right ones? I expected them to be bigger for a grown man.”

Wes glanced around, trying to see if we were on the right track. “This is where we were supposed to dig?”

I nodded. “That’s what he said.” I waved to the bones. “Are these you?”

William just stared at both of us without answering the question. Instead, he gaped at the two of us.

“I think you offended his pride.” I snickered and William shot me a dirty look.

But if these bones weren’t William’s, who did they belong to?

7

“This doesn’t feel right,” I commented, holding a bag out for Wes to put William’s remains into. “Something isn’t quite right here.”

“I’m literally giving you permission,” William protested. “I showed you where I was buried, and I gave you permission to exhume me.”

“Fair enough.”

Wes gave me a look, but he didn’t comment. He probably guessed I was speaking to William.

“What are you going to do with me now?” William asked.

I didn’t have an answer for him. What did one do with exhumed bones?

“What did you find out about helping him cross over?” Wes asked as they both stared at me for the answers.

I sighed. “I researched and found a few things we can try out to see if they work.” I glanced between them, noticing how they were both standing in the same manner. “But there’s nothing definite.”

“I thought you had experience in this,” William groused.

“Well, my ancestor Maggie left when her task had been completed. I didn’t do it for her.”

William crossed his arms and glowered.

“What’s first?” Wes asked.

“First, we can try burying his bones on sacred ground.”

“Okay, but what is considered sacred?” Wes frowned.

“Anything that is holy or deemed sacred by a specific religion,” I explained carefully. Sacred ground was a new idea to me, too.

“So, we need to find a church with a backyard and then bury him there.” Wes sighed. “We are so going to jail for this.”

I laughed. “It’s not just any church. William, what religion are you? Because I bet that matters in the grand scheme of things.”

“Christian.” William eyed me curiously.

I nodded, having expected that answer. “Most people were during your era. No particular denomination?”

He shook his head.

“None for your family?”

“I fail to see how this information plays into anything.”

“It just does.” I waved at him. “I called a church earlier in the week and told them we had a family member we felt was trapped here on earth. We wanted to help him move on, so I asked if we could place the remains in their cemetery. They agreed, but only after they’ve blessed him, then they’d let us.”

“Well, when is this happening?” Wes took the bag from me, and William remained close to Wes. “Soon?”

“We’re going to attend the service tomorrow morning. Then we’ll get William blessed, and we’ll be able to bury him ‘in the backyard.’”

“It is agreeable,” William said.

Sunday dawned bright and sunny. It was a great day to attend service and get William some peaceful rest after all these years. On this morning, of all mornings, I woke up without Janice in attendance. I’d wondered where she’d gone, but I didn’t take time waffling about. We had to get William blessed and properly buried.

The pastor and his assistant prayed over the remains that we’d unceremoniously left in the car until after the services were over. After a few specific prayers and rituals, they gave us permission to bury the remains.

“There’s an open space under the oak on the east side.” The pastor pointed to a clear area. “He will have a lovely morning view for his resting site.”

The pastor and his assistant helped us to bury the remains as William stood nearby watching us. I didn’t ask, but I couldn’t help but wonder if the pastor had any idea William was actually there.

When it was all done, William stared at me. “What now?”

I looked to Wes before reacting. I couldn’t say anything because the pastor didn’t really believe in ghosts, but he wanted to help us make sure that our family member was settled properly. It should have worked as quickly as it had with Maggie, shouldn’t it? Maybe it was a delayed reaction. Though, I couldn’t really do or explain anything until the pastor and the assistant pastor were on their way.

“Thank you, pastor. We really appreciate all of your help.” I held out a hand to them as they left us alone to bid our family member farewell.

“He’s still here.” I kept my voice lowered, so the departing clergy couldn't hear me.

Wes stepped to the edge of the freshly turned dirt. “Let’s say those goodbyes like you suggested. We can see if it happens then.”

“Sure,” I began. “William, thank you so much for saving my life, many times over. I am so happy I met you, and we were able to put some of the pieces together. Without you, Maggie would have been stuck here, unable to move on. You made it possible for her, and we hope it becomes possible for you.” I fell silent.

Wes began his portion. “William, you helped me out of a terrible situation. I didn’t want to deal with being a Viscount, and you solved that problem for me. The correct heirs could inherit, and my horrible brother wasn’t able to kill me. I can’t thank you enough.” Then Wes bowed his head as if closing his eyes in prayer would make it work better. He peeked at me as if asking if there would be some sign that William had moved on already.

“Well, all of this has been super sweet,” William spoke eagerly. “I’m so proud of you, Wes, for sticking to your morals and making sure that the title went to the people it belonged to. I wasn’t the only one that made all of this work properly. Thank you for your help. Both of you.”

Then William braced as though waiting for someone or something to hit him. “Nothing’s happened,” he said. His shoulders drooped.

Wes looked at me, hoping for good news.

“Nope.” I sighed loudly. “Scotch Bonnet!” Even in a case like this, I couldn’t curse; it just wouldn’t come out of my mouth the same way.

“Dig me up, please.” William gestured toward his bones. “We’ll have to try something different. Give my apologies to the reverend.”

I just let out a laugh. How crazy were we going to look? Burying bones and digging them up once more?

“William wants us to dig him up and try again,” I explained to Wes since he couldn’t hear William’s request for himself.

“Have you always been this way?” Wes asked, throwing his hands up in frustration.

“What way is that?” I turned to him, confused.

“Having conversations with ghosts, burying their remains, and then digging them back up, fires starting in your shops and houses, just all of it. You seem to draw danger toward you, and you run toward it.” He paused. “It’s not… proper. Civil, I’m not sure what.” His British accent became more pronounced as his emotion increased. Though, his outburst was decidedly more American than British.

“Is it wrong to want to help people, living or dead?” I wasn’t sure what he was trying to imply.

“Not at all. It’s one of the things about you that draws me to you as well. But you don’t watch out for yourself, which is why you get into all sorts of trouble.”

My temper flared. So I bit back another pseudo-curse and took a breath. “I don’t ask for trouble. The ghosts show up, and as you just experienced, we haven’t found a good way to help them cross over. That’s really my main goal.” I sighed. “I don’t know how it became a part of my life. It just did.”

Wes pursed his lips, and William observed.

I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Imagine if you had died, which isn’t fun to begin with, then instead of going to your place of rest, you were forced to float around for years, centuries even.”

William nodded emphatically. “That’s it exactly. I’ve been stuck here for so long, hanging around when I’ve heard there might be parties when we cross over.” The ghost sighed. “Don’t make me wait more centuries to start living my fullest afterlife. Dig me up.”

I turned to William. “I wish we could do that, but the people who just let us bury you are watching. We can’t dig you up right now. We’ll have to come and retrieve your bones back tonight after dark. After they all go home.”

Wes just shook his head. “Because it won’t be obvious that we’re the ones that came back to get him. Who else would want to have those bones?”

I glared at him.

He kicked at the ground. “We really are going to wind up in jail.”

8

I’d turned my phone off while we were in the church service and then kept it off while we buried William. So I picked it up, turned it on, and saw I had a message from Don.

Who on earth are you digging up? he’d texted, about a day later than I needed his answer.

I texted him back. Wes’ relative, William. He was in the tunnels at Aunt Linda’s, and we wanted to give him a proper place of rest. Is there something that we can legally do with them?

I’ll take a look at some of the laws for you. Maybe we can discuss it over dinner tonight? he suggested.

Wes stood next to his car, waiting to follow me home so we could work on another method for sending William home to the afterlife.

Um, can we do it tomorrow night? Would that work for you? I’m kind of tied up today. I hurried to send the text back to him before I reached Wes.

Absolutely. My shift is over about the same time that you close up the shop.

Thanks. I can’t wait to find out what we can do with these. I hit send before I realized how it sounded. I winced. Some kind of bone crazy. How I hadn’t managed to send Don away, I didn’t know. So I followed up with another text. I meant the rules for moving and burying them.

Ha, no worries. I understood what you meant. See you tomorrow.

When I reached Wes at the car, I met his gaze. “We’re going to have to steal his remains back tonight. I want to get all the things tomorrow so we can burn him properly.”

“Burn?” Wes echoed.

“That’s the next thing to try.”

Off to the side, William nodded as though burning centuries-old remains was the most normal thing in the world.

But Wes turned a bit pale. “Of course. That sounds fine. I’ll need to go and prep for my patients coming in tomorrow. So I’ll need to meet up with you later on this evening.”

“When do you want to meet back here?”

Suddenly, Wes laughed and shook his head.

“What is it?” I asked.

“Not what I expected to be doing on this day in my life.” He shrugged. “Do you want to come with me?”

“With you?”

“To my practice.”

It was the first time that he’d offered something like this, and I didn’t want to miss out. I’d never been to his veterinary clinic outside of office hours and behind the scenes.

“Sure.”

He grinned. “Superb.”

Then we each climbed into our respective cars, and I followed him to the vet’s office. He let me in through the front door, and he hurried into the supply room at the far end of the building to grab a few things.

I wandered around the lobby, studying medicines on the shelves and other pet items, but I stopped short when I saw a map with the old town’s layout hanging on the wall. The parchment had yellowed with age, and the edges were ripped.

“Has this map always been here?” I yelled down the hallway to Wes.

“It was in a box of things we found in the back of the building when I was cleaning out the office to put my stuff in it. It was in a box that I randomly stumbled over when I moved the last guy’s stuff back there.”

Excitement shot through me. “Do you think there’s any way I could look through the box you found it in?” I moved down the hall in the direction of his voice.

“Of course.” His head popped out of a room at the end. “It’s this way.”

He grabbed my hand and pulled me to a stuffy back room, full of all sorts of discarded things. He flipped on the single, naked bulb in the center of the ceiling. Piles leaned in every corner, and a mannequin observed from behind an empty, broken bookshelf. This disheveled mess had to be the catch-all room.

He gestured to the space. “Look all you want. I’ll do my prep work and check on the animals while you dive in.” He exited and left me to it.

The first box I opened held the permits for the building. A destruction notice, along with a termination ordered by the governor during that time, Charles Hough. That’s Kim’s real last name, staring at me with the governor’s signature on it. Funny how things all kept coming back around to Kim, my ex-employee, and then woman determined to keep historical facts a secret. Had her grandfather been the governor?

I put the document aside to continue looking through the other papers. Nothing else seemed too exciting or enlightening, so I left everything else there, except the destruction notice.

A cacophony of animals resounded, and Wes’s voice slipped up the hall. “Who’s hungry? Huh? Who needs their din-din?”

I grinned and shook my head. Wes sure loved the animals he took care of. I rifled through a few more papers and found nothing. But remembering parts of Don’s history lesson at my kitchen table, all the documents disappeared during that time. I wondered how this one, and the ones given to me, had been left behind.

“Hey, Wes? Any chance I can have this?” I called.

Wes appeared on the threshold, wiping his hands on a rag, and gave it a quick glance. “That’s fine. I don’t have any need for it.” He shrugged and went back to caring for the animals.