Page 31 of The Vampire and the Case of the Perilous Poltergeist

‘You scared me,’ I repeated softly, not quite sure why fear was still clawing at me like an alien trying to break through Sigourney Weaver.Connor was fine.Everything is okay.Even as I thought that, fear was still sliding down my spine and it took conscious effort to subdue it. What was going on?

I got back to work; I had a job to do and I was damned if I’d let Thorsen or his mates see me with my lip quivering. I pulled back my shoulders and turned to the crowd. ‘Any questions?’

Several hands went up and I answered easily. From their questions, it was clear they were impressed and all of them wanted a K-9 companion. Who could resist a furry best friend?

We were done. Most people started back with Sergeant Marks, but Sidnee, Danny, Connor, Fluffy and I stayed behind to cover up the mine so no one would accidentally fall in. Before we could start, Danny hopped in. ‘Hey!’ I shouted. ‘What gives?’

I moved closer to the hole to help him back out, but the irrational fear washed over me again and I stepped away from the edge. Danny was an adult and he was fine. I had no idea where this second-hand claustrophobia/mine-ophobia was coming from. I took some calming breaths and the fear slowly receded.

‘I’m looking!’ Danny said casually. ‘I love mines!’

Men were so weird. Sidnee rolled her eyes at me in agreement.

Danny turned on his phone torch to have a good rummage around. I was still keeping my distance but I was watching him impatiently, so I saw when he stilled unnaturally before swiping something from the ground and pocketing it. ‘What did you find?’ I asked nosily.

‘Just a fossil,’ he replied casually.

I didn’t believe him. ‘You collect those, too?’ I pressed.

‘Doesn’t everyone?’ He flashed me a smile, but his eyes were tight and the tension in his jaw told me he was upset. I left it alone – for now. He probably wouldn’t be open about any strong emotions in front of Connor since he barely knew him.

Danny climbed out of the hole and gave Fluffy some good-boy pats while Connor and Sidnee laid down the last of the boards. Danny was eyeing me curiously, noting the rigidity of my body and the distance I was keeping from the creepy hole.

Connor pulled me into his arms to give me a hug, one I found I sorely needed. I didn’t even mind if it was caused in part by his own need to be a tad territorial in front of Danny. I trusted Danny and every single thing I’d seen from him had told me he was good people, but Connor didn’t have that same experience.

‘We’ll go,’ Danny said, amused. ‘Give you some space.’

‘Allllll the space!’ Sidnee agreed. They walked away, leaving me alone with Connor and Fluffy.

Connor kissed me, sweeping me off my feet – metaphorically, of course, unlike Petrovich. As if I’d summoned him with my thoughts, a chill wind ran down my neck and I jumped away from Connor and whirled around. An amorphous blob was standing barely a foot away from me. ‘Petrovich!’ I exclaimed and scrambled back a little. The ghost's sense of personal space was way off.

Connor swore as he turned to face the poltergeist.

‘Save our souls!’ an eerie wailing voice howled from the wind then the apparition faded as quickly as it had appeared.

I shivered and wrapped my arms around myself. Fluffy had crouched down, too; only Connor was standing alert, ready to fight off something he couldn’t touch. I appreciated his protection, but as far as I knew there was nothing he could do against a spirit.

‘At least it didn’t try to kick our asses,’ he said drily.

‘Yeah, I appreciate it a lot more when heUSES HIS WORDS.’ I said that last bit loudly, hoping the poltergeist would hear and obey.

‘That was creepy. I can see why you’re worried.’

I shuddered. ‘He said “Save our souls”. Does he mean SOS, that he needs help? Or does he mean we actually need to save his soul?’

Connor frowned. ‘I couldn’t actually hear his words, but you were closer. Still, I’ve never heard of a ghost being that coherent before.’

‘Do you have a lot of experience with ghosts?’ I asked curiously.

‘No, but I’ve been reading a lot since I became your personal researcher.’ He paused, ‘Has anyone said anything to you about Liam Smith?’

I blinked. ‘Who?’

‘Recruit Smith. He was a part of the last cohort.’ His expression was grave. ‘Apparently, he left the academy halfway through the course.’

I shrugged. ‘There are a lot of drop outs.’

‘Sure – but this one never found his way home.’

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