Page 15 of Signs and Wonders

“One of Swain’s aliases.”

“Uh-huh. Hell, that would have been like shooting fish in a barrel.” Evan was angry at Swain’s abuse of trust to prey on patients who had no recourse.

“I’ve found a couple of women named Cathy—or some version of Catherine,” Seth said. “The one I think is most likely is a teenager who disappeared in 1943 who got off a bus in Buckhannon and was never seen again.”

Evan sat back in his chair. “And those are just the ghosts who could communicate through the Ouija board. I bet there were others who either couldn’t make it work for them or didn’t want to try.”

“Yeah. Pretty sure of it.”

“But why?” Evan asked. “They aren’t from the deputies’ families, so they aren’t right for the main sacrifices. Do you think he’s been doing ‘power boost’ murders all along?”

“Why wouldn’t he?” Seth countered. “No one was looking for a preacher to be a murderer, and people would be hesitant to say anything, even if they saw suspicious evidence. A lot of people sent to those hospitals had been given up on by their families. No one was looking out for them, and no one cared when they disappeared.”

As depressing as Seth’s assessment was, Evan knew he was correct. This wasn’t the first time the dark coven had taken advantage of people who slipped through the cracks.

Seth’s phone rang, and Evan recognized the ringtone.

“Hey, Travis. Miss us?” Seth asked with a smirk as he put the call on speaker.

“Like athlete’s foot,” Travis joked. “You get to Buckhannon in one piece?”

“Mostly,” Evan replied. “With an adventure or two along the way.” He glanced around, but the lower archive floor looked deserted except for the two of them. He gave a brief accounting of their trip to the old campground.

“You were lucky,” Travis said. “Even with proper preparation, a vengeful spirit like that can do serious damage.”

“Do you know any mediums in the area who might be able to help? We think there are more ghosts who couldn’t use the Ouija board, and we need to go back to look for Swain’s anchor,” Seth said.

“I don’t know anyone near there, but you’re only a little over two hours away. Brent and I are happy to come down and help if you want the company.”

Seth and Evan exchanged a relieved glance. Evan figured they had both been trying to figure out whether to ask.

“That would be great,” Seth replied. “There’s a lot here to unpack between the cyber issues and the skeevy retreat. We could use the help.”

“Have you met the target?” Travis asked.

“Yeah. Seems like a decent guy—Joe Average. No indication he has any clue about what’s going on,” Evan said. “We’re keeping an eye on him in case Swain decides to move up his timeline because we’re in the area.”

“Do you know whether Swain tracked you?”

“We’re going on the assumption that he has because the warlocks seemed to keep tabs on each other, so we figured he’d be watching for us,” Seth said.

“Probably not wrong. If Swain is aware of you, then coming to town might move up his schedule on the next victim,” Travis pointed out.

“That’s happened before,” Evan admitted. “But what’s the option? If we delay, he might still move the timetable or kill other ‘power boosts’ in the meantime.”

“You don’t have any good options,” Travis agreed. “So we need to move fast.”

“We’re going to shadow Cameron and figure out the best time to explain,” Seth said. “We don’t know if Swain is already watching Cameron, but my bet is that he’s got him in his sights.”

“Just be careful—remember you and Evan aren’t out of the woods yet,” Travis warned.

The call ended, and Evan gave Seth a quizzical look. “You okay with reinforcements?”

“Sure. We’ve nearly had our asses handed to us enough times. I’m not going to turn down help—especially from guys like them.”

“Good.” Evan was secretly relieved. He had thought about suggesting they work together when they visited in Pittsburgh but worried Seth might be uncomfortable asking for help.

After another hour, they had compiled a list of people who had gone missing from the area around the camp, the asylum, and the forest near the retreat. For a place that wasn’t thickly populated, it seemed to have more than its share of disappearances.

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