Page 20 of Shadow Running
“Are you sure?I can drive you.”
“No, I’m good,” she said.“Want anything special for dinner?”
I thought about it for a moment.“Grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup?”
Penn laughed.“One of those days, huh?Comfort food, coming up.I’ll see you later.”
As she left, I thought about the morning, and how terrifying it had been.I decided to go see what the camera had to show.I pocketed my phone, picked up my tablet, and headed for Dante’s office.
CHAPTERSEVEN
Dante was at his desk,leaning forward, watching the laptop that Carson had set up.He glanced at me as I entered his office.“Come here.You aren’t going to believe this,” he said.
I leaned over his shoulder.There, on the screen, was a scene right out of Poltergeist.The attic was hopping with activity.Several books were spinning in the air, a doll was screaming and waving her arms as a toy dinosaur attacked her.And all through the camera’s view, misty figures shimmered in and out.
We watched silently, listening to the eerie screams, grunts, and whimpering that came through the audio.The sounds didn’t match the activity, and when I closed my eyes, I caught a disturbing flash of a man, grinning as he raised a scalpel over a woman tied down on a bed.I shook my head, not wanting to see what came next.It was bad enough, knowing what had happened to the victims.
“What?”Dante asked.
“I just caught a glimpse of what Longworld liked to do to his victims,” I said, shuddering.
Dante sighed.“He was a blight on the world, and most of the Wolf Packs cringe when his name comes up.But still, most Packs ignore the mental health issues of their members, and excommunicate them rather than work to help them.A lot of shifters are veterans, and the things they see in war change them forever.That homeless encampment?The Soldiers of Misfortune?Bet you ten to one that at least a third of the members are shifters.”
I did know that wolf shifters tended to be on the militaristic side, and they often volunteered for service.Dante wasn’t like that, but a lot of his Packmates were attracted to the discipline and hierarchy of the service.
“What do you make of this?”I asked, nodding toward the screen.“It screams poltergeist, but the history of the house doesn’t support it.”
“A thought occurred to me.I looked into the victims.Four of the victims were under fourteen years old, with the youngest being twelve.”Dante grimaced.“I can’t imagine a child enduring that, but it happens.Some predators…” He drifted off, biting his lip.
“I know…I know,” I said.“So, what were you thinking?”
“Look at the books, and the toys.What if one of the younger ghosts is doing that?It would make sense.We already know that the ghosts of children are often chaotic, because it’s harder for them to understand what’s happening.”
I thought about it for a moment.“You could be right?—”
Carson stuck his head in the door.“Good, the two of you are here together.Got a moment?”
I nodded.“Come in.We’re speculating on the activity going on in Konstantine’s house.”
“Put that on hold for a moment.So, Lazenti gave me the names of the five homeless people who vanished.They were from various encampments.Three were men, two were women, but all were in fairly good health, and none of them have any immediate family in the area.They’ve all been on the streets for at least five years.”He tossed a bunch of printouts on the desk.“One other common denominator is that they all worked in extremely physical jobs before they were fired or quit their last employment.”
“Did you have a chance to take a deeper look into Give A Hand Up?”I asked.
Carson shook his head.“That’s next.All five were involved with the group, though.In fact, their buddies on the streets said they treated it almost like you’d treat a church.One of them even said Amena—one of the women—wasbrainwashedby them.His word, not mine.”
“Dig deeper into the group,” I said, staring at the pile of papers.They were all news articles about the organization, from what I could tell.“Is there a local office we can visit?Who are the reps for it?What are their financials…you know the drill.”
Carson nodded, then joined me behind Dante’s chair, staring at the screen.“That’s fucking crazy,” he said.
“Yeah, and I happened to catch a glimpse of the killer.He was about to perform some sort of surgery on one of his victims.We need the full background of the house, of Longworld, and of the victims.”
“I’ll get on it,” Carson murmured, engrossed in what was happening in the attic.“Sophia can help me.By the way, has Orik said when he’s coming back to work?”
“Next week, I think?Since Hilda’s mother is there to help with the twins,” Dante said.“Why?”
“Because, there’s more going on in that house than a haunting,” Carson said.“The preliminary readings I got were sky high.Is there a cemetery nearby?”
“Not the old Indian burial ground cliché?”I asked.
