Page 16 of Malice

Hudson steps away from me until his back is against the fridge. “First you talk to me about damage and now you’re saying there’s a ghost here?”

I step forward, but he flinches so I freeze in place. “I’m sorry. That sounds crazy, doesn’t it? I’m not doing it right,” I murmur under my breath.

“Smooth it over before he kicks you out,” Crash says. “Lie if you must.”

“What did you say?” Hudson asks.

“Uh…” How would I want to hear this information if it were me? How do I get him to let me stay? Maybe I should start with the basics. “Do you believe in ghosts?”

His brow creases but he nods. “Sort of. I don’t want to but there’s been some weird stuff in my life I couldn’t explain.”

“That’s a start.” I chew on my thumbnail for a second. “Is this a need-to-know situation?” I ask Crash.

“What?” Hudson asks again. “You’re mumbling.”

“Ease him in slowly,” Crash says.

“I’m here to learn more about the incident. There are some loose ends in the investigation.” It’s not a complete lie but it still tastes bitter on my tongue. “But I happen to be… sensitive to things we can’t always see. With the traumatic event that happened here, it’s um, possible that Chester’s spirit is still hanging around.”

Hudson visibly pales. “No.” He shakes his head. “No. He can’t hurt me anymore. They promised me.” His voice cracks, and I feel like an asshole for causing it. “He’s dead. I saw him. They cremated him and everything.”

“All true, but that was just his physical body.”

Hudson stares at me with wide, terrified eyes.

“Like I said, I know it sounds ridiculous, but have you noticed anything off? Maybe things moved or?—”

“No. Thisisridiculous. You probably saw something on the internet about what happened and now you’re here to do an exorcism or whatever for a fee. You’re taking advantage of me.”

“Taking advan—” I stop myself, pausing for a moment to realize how I might react in his shoes. “Sorry. I get that this is weird. The last thing I’m here to do is take advantage of you. I’m not asking for money or anything else. I’m here for my job, and I just noticed… something.”

“Your job?” He tilts his head as he narrows his eyes. “With the state? How exactly did you get hired?”

“Super long weird story.”

“He’s not ready,” Crash says, appearing beside me. “Good news is the Horror hasn’t completely manifested yet, but he will. Leave your card. Hudson will call.”

Nodding, I dig in my pocket and produce a business card. I have no idea where I got it. Just another soul chasing perk, I guess.

“I’ll leave my card for you.” I lay it down on the counter. “I’d like to come back and continue the assessment.” That sounds legit, right?

Hudson twists his lips but responds with a curt nod.

“I’ll see myself out.”

I brush past him with a quick glance at the glowing entity lurking behind him, but when I reach the living room, I’m faced with a group of spirits, all hovering in various parts of the room, from the coffered ceiling to the banister to standing beside pieces of furniture. There’s a purple aura around each one.

“Benign entities?” I ask, hoping Crash is still with me.

“Yep,” he says. “They’ve been here a long time.”

I watch him interact with a mixture of fascination and fear. The spirits glance at me more than once as they say things I can’t hear. The front door opens as if inviting me to leave, so I step outside, quickly joined by my ghostly companion.

“Okay, I’ve got the drink,” Crash says.

“What?” I unlock the car door and slide inside.

“The drink. No. Wait. The coffee?”

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