“Good. I have one more cast member to introduce you to today.” He dropped to his haunches. “Myst, I’d like you to meet Kholt. He’s going to be helping us for this hunt.”
The dog looked up at me with her sweet blue eyes, her tongue lolling out of her mouth in a doggie grin. Suddenly, she sat, barked once, and held up a paw. I was utterly charmed.
I bent over and shook with her. “Hi, pretty girl. Pleased to meet you.” Before I let go, she licked my hand, and I figured I’d been accepted.
Dev pet the top of her head and then looked up at me as he stood. “Hanlen and Harper are off doing research. You’ll have to meet them later. And Turner called in sick, unfortunately, but you probably already knew that. Actually, do you know if he’s okay?”
What did I say to that?
“Yeah. He just wasn’t quite feeling himself. I’m sure he’ll be fine in a day or two.”
What I didn’t say was that I thought he might be going home to see his mom so he could tell her that he’d found Starling . . . er, Lark and get some clarity on a few points that we’d talked about the other night.
Dev seemed to accept my answer, nodded, and then looked around at the gathered team.
“Okay, guys. You know the drill. I want glamour shots and setup footage. Lark, Dakota, I need you guys tuned in. Give me anything you get so I can pass it on to the ladies and Burke. If we need to have Desmond do some running for us, we can.”
He turned to the other side of the room. “Sky, do your thing. I need to know before we get too far into this if we’re dealing with any environmental factors that could be causing anything we encounter. Padre, back her up, but I need you to get a feel for the house, too. I don’t want another issue like at Lamour creeping up on us. And see what you can get on film and audio—if anything.”
He held up the big mesh bag I hadn’t noticed he was carrying. “I’m going to go and lay some protections around both properties. I also want to see if I can commune with the lwas a bit and chat with our other group and see if they know anything up front.”
He gave me a look, and Lark must have caught it.
“He knows about the ghost crew, boss,” she said and smiled, looking at me. “Seems someone is now a fan. He’s been binge-watching old seasons and can’t get enough.”
I blushed.
“Really?” Dev said, raising a brow. “And?”
“Lark’s right,” I answered, shrugging. “I love it. I’m kind of obsessed. And I am really excited to be a part of this investigation.”
“Well, then. Welcome to the team.” He reached out and squeezed my shoulder, and Myst barked again as if echoing her master’s words. I couldn’t hold back the smile. Nothing had even happened yet, and I was like a damn kid on Easter morning, waiting to find all the hidden treasures—and all of that with my best friend back at my side.
Chapter12
~Larken ~
Everybody broke off to take care of the things they needed to do. I asked Dev if he wanted some help with the perimeter spells, and he said he had it taken care of. He told me just to try to tap into some of the spirits. Things had been surprisingly quiet. I was a little shocked. But maybe I was a bit too locked down. I had been safeguarding myself more than usual lately, given my reunion with Kholt, and feeling as if Balance of Light were breathing down my neck for the first time in nineteen years.
Kholt had headed over to the 400 house to do some work similar to what he had done here earlier, so I was on my own for the time being. I decided to start up in the three-hundred-and-sixty-degree-view pilot house upper floor of 503 and see if I could pick anything up.
I took the stairs to the top and just walked the perimeter in a clockwise circle for a bit, centering and grounding myself, creating some informal sacred space, and trying to tap into anybody or anything that might be around.
Suddenly, I smelled tobacco and perfume. Excitement bloomed, and I smiled. I wasn’t alone anymore.
“Who’s here with me?” I asked, hoping whoever it was wouldn’t be too shy to come through, especially since it was still daylight.
“Would you like to talk for a bit? I can sense you. I know you’re here. All you have to do is project into my mind, and I’ll be able to see a vague image of you and hear what you have to say. I’m welcoming you. I give you permission to commune with me.”
I got out my voice recorder, just in case they weren’t able to do that and simply wanted to talk.
“Or,” I said, “you can talk into this red light here,”—I held up the recorder—“and it will be able to hear what you say. There are plenty of electrical-type things up here for you to use. Feel free to tap into that energy to temporarily give yourself more.”
I felt a shift in the air, the temperature in the room dropped slightly, and I knew that whoever I had with me was doing just that.
Suddenly, I got a picture in my mind. One of the more vivid ones I’d received lately. It was a middle-aged woman in period dress. I’d guess maybe really early 1900s. But it wasn’t what I would normally expect with the high-necked and fitted-sleeved dress, cinched waist, and long, A-line skirt complete with bustle. This was more like a peplum jacket over a lace-collared blouse, paired with a split-leg skirt that looked like wide-legged pants—more masculine than usual for that time period. She had her hair in a severe bun at the nape of her neck, wore a captain’s hat, and smoked a fat cigarette. I had a feeling I knew who was in the room with me.
Smiling, I said, “Mary Rhiner Doullut? Is that you?”