“I find this entire exhibit quite confusing,” Nicolas says. “But if he is a ghost, then he cannot be newly arrived.”
“He should not be.” I give a shiver. “After three hundred years, I would have hoped he could have crossed over.”
“They become trapped if their murder is not solved,non?”
“That’s the main reason, though there are others. Sometimes they bind themselves here, intentionally or otherwise, through unfinished business.”
I watch the young man as he backs away from the display case and then turns, looking around as if in a fog, before striding in the other direction.
I shiver as I shake my head. “He seems lost, which would be logical if he had only recently passed on, but that does not make sense.”
“What is he doing?”
“He has left the exhibit.”
“Would you like to follow?” Nicolas asks.
I hesitate.
“That means yes, you would,” Nicolas says. “You are concerned for his welfare, and you would like to see what is the matter. There is nothing wrong with enjoying a mystery if you are also seeking to help. I believe that should be our motto, though with much more succinct wording. Shall we follow, in the pursuit of altruism and answers?”
“Please.”
5
We have followed the young man through two levels and two announcements that the museum will be closing soon. One moment, the ghost will look around in utter confusion at both the exhibits and the people. Then he will seem to snap back to himself and stride purposely straight through the throngs. While we do not have trouble keeping up, I am uncertain how to speak to him without causing a scene that others will notice.
I also hope to better understand the situation. I have never encountered a case where a ghost from the very distant past seems not to understand where he is or what has happened to him. Yet this one also appears to have moments of clarity, in which his purposeful stride suggests he knows exactly where he is and why.
Finally, we are on the upper floor, in an exhibit that features timepieces. The two rooms are not the busiest of exhibits, and everyone else there appears to be only cutting through on their way to the exits. We continue following the ghost to a back corner. There, he stops at a glass case. When he glances furtively around, Nicolas and I duck out of sight.
I bend to watch through a display case as the ghost takes what looks like a small hammer from his pocket. Another glance around, and then a quick smack at the display case. Of course, nothing happens. The hammer, like the ghost, is incorporeal and passes right through the glass.
Yet the ghost doesn’t seem to notice his failure to break the glass. He casts one more furtive glance around and then reaches into the display. He keeps looking one way and then the other as his fingers close around an object inside. Then he sneaks his hand up and under his jacket, as if secreting something away. When he looks back at the display, though, the object is obviously still there, and he lets out a snarled curse of frustration before trying again, as if his fingers are too slippery to hold it.
A throat clearing behind us has Nicolas and me startling. We turn to see a woman folding her arms over her chest.
“Museums are no place for hide-and-seek.” She sniffs. “Aren’t you both a little old for that?”
I don’t see any sign that she’s an employee. I’m about to ask when a man joins her, and they continue toward the exit.
“Interfering busybody,” I mutter. “I would have hoped they’d have gone extinct by now.”
I turn back toward the ghost, only to see him fleeing, obviously startled by the woman. I’m telling Nicolas what I saw when a voice overhead announces that the museum is now closed for the day, and we are to proceed to the nearest exit.
I glance toward the exhibit the ghost tried to break into.
“I do not believe that announcement applied to us,” Nicolas says.
“I’m quite certain it applies to everyone, Nico.”
“There you are mistaken,crécerelle. As with every rule, there is an exception made for those in dogged and genuine pursuit of altruism and answers. What did our concierge call it? Humanitarian missions? I believe this qualifies, and if it does not...” He leans in to whisper, “It makes an excellent excuse for a relatively minor crime, would you not agree?”
“I do see your point.”
“I knew you would. Let us discover what our ghost was attempting to steal, and I will listen for footsteps.”
While Nicolas keeps an eye and ear out for museum staff, we slip to the display case that the ghost was so determined to smash. It’s a small glass box on a pedestal with a single object in it. When I see it, my heart skips.