Mary Kendall, A Ghost Story

Mary Kendall, A Ghost Story
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Back in the house watching TV, Damien hears noises on the porch. Elias closes the computer and vanishes so only Damien can see him. A loud knock sounds, and Damien turns the TV off and answers the door. Three men are standing there. One he recognizes but he makes no signs of acknowledgement.
“Yeah, what do you want at this time of night?” he asks. “I’m not buying anything!”
“We want to talk to you, so how about let's talk inside instead of hashing this out on the porch in front of the world. Your boss contacted our boss and set up this meeting.”
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Damien shrugs and moves out of the way as they enter the house. He glances up at the night sky before going inside. The quarter moon is climbing high in the sky and is reflected in the river. Just a few more days and Mary will be back.
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When Joe, who seems to be in charge of the group, enters the house, he sends Dave to examine the computer on the desk. He directs Mack to search the rest of the house.
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“I’m Joe, that’s Dave and Mack.” Joe points to the others as they begin their search of Damien’s things. Joe turns and looks behind him. He was certain he felt someone breathing behind him. No one is there. As he runs his finger under his collar, he tells Damien, "It sure is hot in here."
"The AC doesn't work in this dump. I’ve been waiting for contact all day. Is there a problem?”
“No problem. The boss had a few things to check out. So far you’ve checked out with his contacts. You can’t be too careful, ya know?”
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Dave comes over and tells Joe the computer is clean.
Mack searches the bedroom and bathroom, then looks in the kitchen cabinets and refrigerator and calls out to Joe that the rest of the place is good.
“Let's go. You'll be riding along with us.”
“That’s fine, I left my ride in Bridgeport.”
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Damien touches his watch, transmitting the signal to Detective Abbott, Jamie and Lee that contact has been made and they are going to the headquarters.
The alarm on Jamie's watch rouses him as well as Bekka. Jamie reassures Bekka he will be safe in the observation house that the police have set up.
Bekka is worried despite his reassurances.
“We just found each other. I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
“I don’t want anything to happen to me either.” He laughs with his usual confidence and pulls her into his arms kissing her with all his love.
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Layla is awakened by Lee's alarm, and she gets up with him. “I know you will be fine but I wish I was going with you.”
“Damien felt we needed to keep the numbers down for this operation to be successful. I think if my magic was not as strong as it is he wouldn’t let me join. But, he knew I could be a significant help, especially if things go wrong for him inside. We need to get in place, so we are closer. We are too far away here if anything happens.
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After arriving at headquarters Joe texts his boss who meets them outside. Damien raises his arms and is searched by Bert Alto who is the current leader of the local syndicate. “You understand that even with your recommendations from our contacts, we must exercise caution.”
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Bert, who wants to break into the global syndicate, is thrilled to have Damien on his team, even if it is temporary. He received excellent reports regarding his reputation and skills from the ‘fake’ syndicate in Bridgeport. He welcomes him warmly after the search. He is hopeful Damien will be willing to do a few small jobs for him while he is hiding out in Hidden Springs. “Nothing that will get you noticed by the cops, I assure you. The locals are fairly dense and couldn’t catch a burglar if they were standing in front of them.”
Dave frowns as he stands behind Bert and hears that statement. He is looking forward to the day when he's no longer undercover and can help bring down this organization and the buffoon who runs it.
Bert tells Joe to show Damien around and introduce him to the others and offer him a drink. “Make sure to give him the good stuff. Not the cheap stuff.”
Damien can’t help but smile at the disgruntled look on Joe’s face when Bert tells him to treat him like the visiting VIP he is alleged to be.
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Joe places his hand on the security pad and waits for the door to open. Mack senses something is not quite right and turns back. “It got really hot again.”
Damien rolls his eyes as he looks at Elias. Elias shrugs and turns to face Mack.
The door makes a loud clicking sound as the locks open for entry. Joe explains that when anyone leaves they can just walk out, but entry is by hand print only. “You will have to call one of the crew for entry unless Bert gets you printed. I guess that will depend on how long you will be here.”
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Mack looks right at Elias and shivers despite the strange heat he is feeling. He does not see him but he definitely senses something unusual.
Joe leads the way into the building. “Mack, pay attention!” he shouts.
Something weird is going on," Mack mumbles to himself.
Elias grins and follows behind the group as they enter the headquarters.
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Damien follows Joe as he descends a flight of stairs. Another doorway with a coded entry is ahead. Joe enters the code, and they enter the main hallway. The paneled walls are coated with green algae or mold. The air is stale and smells of years of grime and dust. Damien realizes now why the chief asked if his health was good and his shots up to date.
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Joe walks to the end of the corridor, pointing out the restrooms, sleeping quarters, a small conference room and the kitchen area. He opens a door to a large room with couches, a bar, card tables and a pool table.
“We hang out here in between jobs. A few of us live on site so someone is usually in the building. Bert makes out a schedule to be sure someone is protecting the premises while others are out on jobs."
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Elias sits between the two making Mack extremely uncomfortable with his invisible presence. Mack squirms and shudders feeling something but not able to see Elias. He is sweating from the heat generated by Elias.
Joe looks over at him. "I don't know what is wrong with you man but you need to take a chill pill or something."
"Looks like Dave has drinks ready. I'll have one of those."
Elias finally gets bored with tormenting Mack and explores the other rooms. A few things have changed since he was last in the building.
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Jamie and Lee arrive at the observation house set up by the police. Detective Abbott ushers them in shutting the door behind them.
“Thank you for arriving so promptly. I have been tracking him since getting the signal and he is presently inside the headquarters. He was searched on arrival, but they did not find our advanced devices."
The detective points to the other doorway as he tells them, "The other room has a couple of beds, a bathroom and a shower. There are drinks and snacks in the mini fridge. The Chief will come by periodically with food and help with monitoring Damien as well. It is a little cramped, but it is close to the headquarters which is exactly what we needed. We will set up a schedule. Two of us will be tracking Damien at all times, with one resting."
Jamie and Lee look around the small room at the monitoring equipment and computers set up. "Everything looks fine. Will you show us how to use the equipment?"
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"Yes, in a few minutes. First, I have a question for both of you. Something is making the two criminals uncomfortable. I read Damien’s files and know he has worked with ghosts before, solving cold cases. He is married to one. He did not reveal the identity of his informant to us. Is it a ghost, and did it accompany him to the headquarters? I need to know for Damien's safety as well as our agent.”
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