A freezing mist descended, prickling Shinji at the nape of his neck. Turning around on his heels, he came face to face with Ishida’s ghost. Shinji jolted, grabbing onto the railing. Nine years on the job and he still hated when a ghost popped out of nowhere.
Ishida’s eyes were wide and mouth ajar. The mist spread onto the fire escape, engulfing Shinji in a fog so thick he could barely see his surroundings. This wasn’t a good sign. The more ghostly mist a spirit produced, the more chances they could turn from quiet to lethal in a second.
“I can help you,” Shinji said, keeping the tone of his voice calm and low. “I’m here with Chief Inspector Hayashi. We’re going to find the one who did this.”
Shinji hoped Teruo’s name would elicit a reaction from Ishida since Ishida sought Teruo out. Yet no answer came from Ishida and his breathing quickened, his hands shaking.
“Please tell me what you remember. Anything at all.” Shinji moved slowly from the railing and settled his back against the building’s wall.
This was the worst place to be talking with an agitated ghost. If Ishida attacked him now, he could protect himself, but not the rest of the people inside the building, including Teruo; not with his powers so weak.
Damn the Onmyoryo and their seals.He could only hope Ishida didn’t grasp the extent of his abilities as a ghost.
“It’ll be all right,” Shinji tried again, “I’m here for you. Let me help you.”
More icy mist spilled from the ghost and Shinji shivered.
Ishida raised his hands, examining them, the shaking growing worse with each second. He grabbed onto his hair, whimpering, then crouched, bursting into sobs. “You can’t help me… You shouldn’t help me. I don’t deserve it.”
Shinji frowned. Was this what Ishida thought of himself? That he was undeserving of help? Was this what the killer thought also? That Yamato, Ozawa and Ishida had been so cruel that they deserved death? Perhaps it was the shock of finding out he was dead that made Ishida say this.
Shinji slid down and sat on the freezing metal floor, groaning as the cold seeped through his clothes. Ishida knew his name and managed to travel from his house to the office and ask for help. He was aware of himself—and the fact that he’d been murdered—more so than Yamato. The memories were there, somewhere deep down and Shinji had to give Ishida the nudge he needed to remember what happened.
Bringing out the little bit ofreiryokuhe could use, Shinji tried to soothe him. Thereiryokucould have a calming effect, if Shinji so wished.
“Has someone visited you recently?” he asked, knowing full well this could turn bad, but hoping to hell it wouldn’t. “Any former classmate maybe? From high school?”
Ishida wrapped his fingers around his throat. He rubbed the dark marks of the wire, his breath labored. “It was a joke…” he muttered.
So Ishida was remembering something. “A joke?” Shinji said. “Like a prank?”
“It was only a joke!” Ishida yelled, his voice desperate.
“It’s okay,” Shinji said, continuing to soothe him with no success. “What kind of joke? What did you do?”
“We were young. It was meant to be a joke!” Ishida howled and a strong wind hit Shinji, gluing him to the building’s wall.
Shit. He’s losing it.“Please, tell me what happened.”
“I’m dead. I don’t want to be dead! My neck hurts!” His screams were ear-splitting.
Ishida’s shock was worse than Shinji had estimated and he weighed his options. He couldn’t link hisreiryokuto Ishida and get the spirit under control. He needed answers, but Ishida was already a wreck. If Shinji pushed him more, an already bad situation could worsen.
Before Shinji had a chance to come up with a plan, Ishida grabbed onto his shoulders, holding Shinji in place.
“It was just a joke!” he shouted, his face contorting, his mouth wide open looking like a dark pit.
Fuck!
Shinji covered his ears and bore through it. He looked into Ishida’s almost white eyes and spoke through Ishida’s screams, struggling to keep his voice even. “Who did it? Who killed you? Give me a name.”
Ishida stopped and frowned. “I… I think it was—” Before he could finish, Ishida wheezed and stared horrified at his own body. It was stretching like being pulled into a vacuum. Ishida’s grasp on Shinji’s shoulders broke free and his body was swept away, going right through Shinji, leaving a trail of white smoke behind.
Shinji gasped and shivered from the coldness of the ghost’s body passing through him. “No, no, no!”
Someone else had linked theirreiryokuwith Ishida’s ghost and called him to them. Ishida went straight through the wall. Was this person inside? Or on the other side of the building?
Rushing back toward the bedroom, Shinji jumped over the sill and let out a long shaky breath as the warmth inside hit him.