Page 14 of Dancing with a Ghost

Toby

MatthiashadgonewhenI woke, but his scent still lingered. I supposed he couldn't sit around waiting for me, not that I knew what else he had to do, other than appearing to me. I did wonder.

One thing I knew, I needed to do some research. What he'd told me had sent shivers down my spine, and not in a good way. I also couldn't believe I'd jacked off with a ghost watching! How fucking weird was that?

When I finally made my way downstairs, most of the wedding party were sitting down to breakfast, some looking a little worse for wear, but thankfully, there was no Aaron. I did not need his attention this morning.

Tabitha and Jeremy were there, looking tired but happy.

"Good morning. How are we feeling today?" I asked, smiling as I approached them.

"Exhausted, but good. I have to thank you for yesterday, Toby. Everything went off without a hitch and it was just such a wonderful day. The flowers, the food, the organisation. It was just perfect." Tabitha held my hand as she spoke. She was nothing if not sincere.

"You're most welcome, both of you. If you need anything more before you leave, just ask. Mother and I are here for you until your departure."

I left them to it and made my way into the kitchen, looking for breakfast. The caterers had left, taking everything with them, and I thought back to the chef and the band member, making out behind the fridges. I wondered what it'd be like to kiss Matthias. Would I be able to?

I ate a contemplative breakfast, pondering on what we'd talked about earlier. A nurse harvesting souls and bodies? Sounded completely outlandish and unbelievable. I had to look into this more. But what I really needed was someone to help me do some research. We had no more events on for the next few weeks, so I'd have time. Well, Milton would have time. He was an absolute whizz when it came to research. His investigative skills were second to none.

Striding to my office with a purpose I hadn’t felt in a long time, I pulled up his number and called him.

“Milton, it’s me.” I waited while he told me he knew it was me, that my name had come up when the phone rang, but it was a habit. I wasn’t a fan of mobile phones.

“Look, enough about that. I need you in my office in half an hour. Can you do that? Oh, you’re there already.” I looked at my watch. It wasn’t that late surely, but on checking, I realised it was after 9:30 am. I was usually there by 8:30 latest. Seemed my early morning ‘chat’ with Matthias had knocked me right out.

“Right, well, get the coffee on. We've got work to do.”

As I entered my office, the scent of freshly brewed coffee filled my senses. Milton was fussing about with the machine, pouring us both a cup.

“Morning, boss! You’re late today.” He placed the drinks in front of us both and sat opposite me, iPad at the ready. “What’s on the agenda?”

“So, this isn’t technically work related. In fact it’s nothing to do with an event at all but it does concern the manor. I want to know everything you can find out about it before it was left to mother. Specifically about it being a wartime hospital. I looked briefly this morning and there was some mention of patients dying.”

“That happens in a hospital, especially during the war.” Milton pointed out.

“I know but this was an inordinate amount, more than what was expected. From what I could gather, Ellison Manor was more of a place of recuperation so although some deaths were expected, it was more than usual.”

“I get ya. Look into unexpected deaths then. Do we have a specific year or any time?”

I tried to remember what Matthias had told me. “1942? 1943? I’m not sure now but around those dates. Just see what you can find. While you do that, I’ll have a scout around in the library, see if I can find something in there.”

I watched Milton as he typed vigorously on the keyboard he had attached to his iPad, a look of concentration on his face. I sipped on my coffee thinking back to this morning’s antics and shook my head.

What the hell had I been thinking? I must have still been half asleep and horny! Definitely horny.

Things like that were so out of character for me, but I knew he was there, I could smell him. I was so used to that scent now, I searched for it. When the sheet fell from my hips, I knew I was exposed and something came over me. A man’s touch was what I’d craved but I should have known that Mattias wouldn’t be able to overcome years of hiding away. It didn’t matter though.

“Right,” I said, eager to get to the library now. “Text me if you find anything but I’ll be in the library, searching through some of the old notebooks there. Who knows, one of us might find something.”

Milton nodded, waving me away with his hand. I wasn’t overconfident that we could find out exactly what had happened to Matthias but I had to try.

The library was in the west wing of the house and it took me a few minutes to get there. I’d managed to avoid my mother, dipping into one of the unused offices until I’d heard her rush past.

I loved it here though, the musty smell of books, the floor to ceiling bookcases containing all manner of subjects from art to music, from the classics to more recent releases. It was a treasure trove of information. Towards the back were some cabinets, untouched by the guests. Most were locked, anyway, but I knew where the key was kept, sliding it into the lock, hearing the click as it released.

Pile after pile of old notebooks sat in the large drawer, none of them in date order. This could take ages but I had to start somewhere.

I removed each book in turn, the first pile from the 1970s. Why didn’t we still keep books like this? Everything now was on the computer, no one appreciated the actual written word anymore and that saddened me. I vowed from today, I’d start a journal, note down what happened on a daily basis, regardless of how mundane.

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