Page 35 of Sinistram
Travis shrugged. “Didn’t know what to expect.”
They parked at the curb near their destination, and Brent looked up at the sign that hung above the door. “‘Fortune Coffee.’ Guess this is the right place.”
Inside, the warmly lit, cozy interior had fanciful paintings of dogs and cats on the walls. The air smelled of roasting beans and fresh baked goods. Not a single detail referenced the circus or traveling shows.
They walked to the counter and ordered two drinks. “I’m looking for Helene,” Brent told the woman at the register. “I called this morning. I’m Brent, and this is Travis.”
She nodded. “Figured that. I know everyone in town. I’m Helene.”
Helene looked to be in her late forties or early fifties, a tall, spare woman with dark hair shot through with gray pulled back in a ponytail. Rolled-up sleeves revealed sinewy arms and strong hands. An apron over a T-shirt and jeans read, “Good Fortune Starts Here.”
“Take the back table. I’ll be over as soon as Jane can cover for me.” Helene called to a woman working in the back as they ambled over to their seats, and followed a few minutes later.
“So…tell me what you want to know, and I’ll see if I can help.”
“We want to know about circus witches, and Finley said you might have some history on the topic,” Brent said.
Helene laughed. “Some history? Yeah, I guess you could say that.” She closed her eyes for a moment, concentrating. When she opened them, she looked at both men differently, as if she could see through them. “You lay spirits to rest and stop monsters.” It wasn’t a question.
“We help them move on and keep them from hurting the living,” Travis replied.
“There’s a place where a circus train wrecked many years ago—people and animals died,” Brent replied. “It was dormant for a long time, but now the ghosts are acting up, causing danger. We want to help them pass over and keep people from getting hurt. I was hoping you might know something that would help.”
They weren’t usually quite so plain-spoken, but something about Helene made Brent trust her and told him she would respect straightforwardness.
She nodded. “I’ve heard many stories about the wreck and visited the site a few times. Unfortunately crashes like that weren’t unknown in the circus world back then, but that particular one is among the worst. I’m not surprised the ghosts aren’t settled.”
“We think there may be a malicious third party riling up hauntings to draw out hunters and attack them,” Travis replied, and both men waited to see her reaction.
Helene hesitated as if listening to a voice they could not hear. “There is truth to what you say. How did you think I could help?”
Brent gave an uncertain smile. “That’s part of what we came here to figure out. We thought maybe you might have some additional insight since you were also part of the circus.”
She chuckled. “When I traveled with the show, I was the fortune teller. Behind the scenes, I worked protective magic, helped the medics with healing, and kept away the dark things. Since I retired from the circuit, I still do all those things, but I sleep in my own bed every night, which is something I truly appreciate.”
“Can you help us? Will you?” Travis asked.
Helene looked from Brent to Travis. “Before I give you my answer, I want to share a story I heard about the wreck soon after I came to Gibbstown. One of our oldest residents, Joe McLaughlin, was a rigger with several shows. He came from a circus family, going back generations. One of his ancestors had been with the Walter Brothers and survived the crash.”
She paused and took another sip of tea. “Joe said that the story that came down through the family held that there was a supernatural cause to the wreck. He didn’t know all the details—old stories like that always leave a lot out—but the piece that endured and that his ancestor apparently swore on a Bible was true was that vampires had something to do with it.”
“Vampires?” Brent hadn’t anticipated that revelation.
Helene nodded. “Joe certainly believed the story to be true, and apparently so did his family members. Figured you should know.”
“Thank you,” Travis replied. “Here’s hoping none of them show up when we go to deal with the restless ghosts, but we’ll take precautions.”
“Which brings us back to the beginning,” Brent added. “Is there anything you can tell us about the magic to help us with the spirits?”
Helene gave an enigmatic smile. “I can do better than that. I’ll go with you. Circus folks stick together.”
Travis felt a weight he didn’t know he carried slip from his shoulders. He wasn’t sure why he felt so relieved to have the witch’s help, but it was like a piece of a puzzle slotting into place, one he hadn’t realized had been missing.
“Thank you.” Brent sounded as relieved as Travis. “I didn’t think we could ask you for that, but I believe it will make a difference.”
“So do I,” Helene said, “although my sources haven’t explained why. I’ve been out to the wreck site a few times over the years. When it was closer to living memory, people wanted to lay a wreath on the anniversary of the crash. The ghosts never bothered us, but even then, I knew they hadn’t made their peace and moved on. When spirits linger too long, someone or something is going to rile them up and cause trouble eventually. I consider this to be part of the healing I do in the community.”
They spent the next half hour making plans and agreed to meet up once Brent had been cleared for action by Matthew.
